


Circi Loves Wilfre

by GuyThatExists



Category: Drawn to Life (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Ok so i technically wrote this before SLO, also this takes place over all three 2000s era games, but i finished this version after SLO, please enjoy (:, the third draft, this is like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29650689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuyThatExists/pseuds/GuyThatExists
Summary: Circi and her family seek refuge in Rapoville after Shadow infests their home. When Circi meets a RapoBoy named Wilfre, her life will change forever as they go on adventures of enormous proportions.Wiki: https://drawntolife.wiki/en/User:GuyThatExists/Circi_Loves_Wilfre
Relationships: Circi/Wilfre (Drawn to Life)
Kudos: 1





	1. A City Free of Shadow

“Mom? Where are we?”

“This is Rapoville honey. It’s gonna be our home until the Shadow goes away.”

“How long is that gonna take?”

“I don’t know sweetie. I don’t know.” Circi’s Mother looked at the mountains and watched as the highest point in Shadow City disappeared beyond the horizon. No one truly knows what caused the Shadow to invade the city, but no Rapo in their right mind stayed behind. As the group walked up to the Town Hall, they were met by three Raposa. The first was an energetic Rapo with orange fur, a brown bowler hat, and a thick mustache to go with his blazer.

“Welcome to our village! You must be Circi!” he said, squatting down to look at the young girl, hiding behind her mother’s leg. “I can assure you, the three of you are safe now. I am the Mayor of this village and if you need any help settling down here, this young gentleman would be happy to help!” Mayor gestured to the younger Rapo with him. Although he was much younger, he had sharp silver fur and wore a blue jacket with a black undershirt. Some of his hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

“C’mon now son. Don’t be shy!” The silver-haired Rapo looked up at the voice, coming from the third figure. “I apologize for my boy, Wilfre. He’s getting into that phase where he doesn’t like to talk. My name is Steven.” Circi’s Mother laughed and looked down at her daughter.

“Don’t worry about him. My girl’s the exact same way. My name is Percate, and this is my mother Athys.”

“Hello dear. I hope we aren’t too much of a burden on your community,” Athys rambled.

“Oh, don’t worry about being a burden. We have more than enough space to accommodate a new family in our village! Now, let’s help you into their new home!” The three Raposa began to walk the family to their home and helped them unpack. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to give you a tour of our village.”

“We’ve visited plenty of times Mr. Mayor,” Percate responded. “Although, if you have any ‘new resident’ voucher’s for Cookie’s restaurant, we’ll happily accept that offer!” The room erupted into laughter from everyone except the two children. Circi looked over at Wilfre and noticed that he was staring at her dress. When he noticed her watching, he immediately looked back up and blushed.

“Well, I apologize but Wilfre and I must be heading home now. If you need anything from us, please don’t hesitate to visit. We live just next to Town Hall.”

“Thank you for your help Steven!” Mayor waved.

“And thank you Wilfre,” Percate said as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a red, inkwell pen and handed it to the child. “This is a gift for you. If your father doesn’t mind of course.” She looked up towards Steven and smiled.

“Well, Wilfre? Would you like to have it?” Wilfre smiled and took the pen from Percate’s hand. He looked up and locked eyes with Circi once more and began to blush. Percate and Steven saw his face redden and looked towards Circi, only to notice that the blush was just as bright on her cheeks, if not even brighter. The two laughed and Steven left the house with his son.

* * *

** Eleven Years Later **

* * *

“Hey dork! Where’d you go?” Circi ran through the village looking for her friend.

“What if I don’t tell you, huh? What happens then?” A voice called from the sky. Circi looked into the air to see Wilfre hiding on top of the Police Station.

“Gotcha now!” Circi began to climb the station’s walls until she heard a booming voice from below her.

“Circi! Get down from there right now!” Circi looked down to see her mother and Officer Cricket judging her from below.

“Or what? Gonna ground me?” She began to climb higher.

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do young lady!”

“Oh ok. Let me just go all the way up first and then I’ll see what I can do.”

“Circi!” Percate walked up to the building and began to climb until Officer Cricket pulled her back.

“Don’t worry ma’am. She can’t make it to the top. It’s impossible unless someone else is up there to help her.“

“I did it, Mom!” Circi peeked over the steeply sloped roof with Wilfre right behind her.

“I should’ve known he was up there with you. The two of you come down right now! Unless you want me to get your father.”

“No! No! I’m coming just…please don’t get my dad!” Wilfre yelled down to Percate.

“Hey!” Circi grabbed Wilfre’s arm. “You’re just gonna leave me up here?”

“You don’t get it. My dad is next in line to be the mayor if Mayor doesn’t have a kid. I don’t want to ruin his chances.” Wilfre slid off the roof and landed on the ground in front of the adults. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“You’re in big trouble young man.” Percate looked back up at the roof. “And so are you Circi. Circi? Circi where’d you go?”

“I’m right here!” Cricket jumped from hearing Circi’s voice behind him.

“You. Come with me.” Percate grabbed her daughter’s arm. “And you, please stopping getting into dangerous situations.” Wilfre looked down and apologized again before running off. “I can’t believe you let him convince you into climbing that building. Do you know how dangerous that could have been?”

“Yes mom, I know how dangerous it could’ve been, but Wilfre and I are both ok! Nothing bad happened.”

“It’s a matter of principal Circi; you can’t just do something because you want to. Especially if it could seriously hurt you.”

“Why not? It’s not like anyone ever gets hurt here. We have the Creator, remember?” Percate looked around the village before whispering to Circi.

“The Creator isn’t going to save you. If he didn’t save us from a Shadow infestation, why would he save you from a fall?” Circi paused and opened her mouth to respond when they suddenly heard a shriek.

“Somebody help! Dr. Cure! Mayor! Please, somebody come here!”

“That’s Wilfre’s voice. We have to go help him mom, c’mon!” Circi and her mom ran towards Wilfre’s house and were met by Dr. Cure, Cricket, and Mayor along the way.

“Wilfre what’s wrong?”

“It’s my dad he’s not moving I don’t know what happened he just won’t move and I—”

“Wilfre calm down. It’s going to be ok! Let us take a look at him.” Wilfre guided the five visitors into his house and next to Steven.

“I got here, and he wasn’t moving.” Dr. Cure sat next to Steven and checked for a pulse. The room was silent for what felt like ages to Wilfre. Dr. Cure eventually stood up and whispered something to Mayor and Cricket before walking up to Wilfre.

“I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do. Your father is dead.” Wilfre fell onto the floor and began to bawl. Circi kneeled next to him and tried to comfort him. Dr. Cure walked back to Mayor and Cricket, gesturing for Percate to join them. “I don’t think this was of natural causes. This seems like an attack, but I’m not entirely sure. Cricket, what do you think?” Cricket looked at the body and noticed some marks on his clothes.

“It looks like someone cut him across the chest. Whoever it was, they meant to hurt him before killing him.” The four of them looked at each other and then to the teens. Circi looked up into the gaze of the adults, and they decided to take Wilfre outside. Before they could leave, Circi spoke out.

“Did anyone else hear that?” The group looked at her and continued walking outside. “I guess not.” Circi looked over to Steven’s body and saw a shadow dart into the corner. She jumped in surprise, ran outside, and slammed the door shut.

“What’s wrong? Did you see something in there?”

“No, it’s just, I can’t deal with bodies all that well. I must’ve just imagined it.” She looked at the building’s outer corner and noticed that it was covered in an inky substance. She turned back to the group and met Cricket’s gaze. The two of them walked to the corner together and inspected the substance. “This is the ink that we used to make in Shadow City. How did it get here?”

“I’m not sure, but I only know a few people who could’ve brought it here.”

“Wait, I know what you’re thinking but there’s no way that it was me, my mom, or my grandma!”

“I know that none of you would’ve done this intentionally but,” Cricket took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to your mother about this. She can tell you if she thinks you’re mature enough.” He stood up and walked back over to Percate. He explained his theory to her, and when he finished, she nodded and walked over to Circi.

“We need to go home Circi. I’ll explain later.” Circi hesitantly followed her mother but stopped to look at Wilfre. He was still crying, holding Mayor tight, and Cricket was talking to the other Rapos in the huddle. She turned back around and followed her mother the rest of the way home.


	2. Respect Your Elders

* * *

** 5 Years Later **

* * *

“No! You can’t write in the Book of Life! And the fact that you think you can do is borderline heresy!”

“Mayor, you don’t understand, I have ideas that could change our lives!”

“I don’t care if you could redraw the entire planet!”

“Well, who’s gonna sign the book when you’re gone. Who’s gonna take your place? You don’t have a child and my father is dead!” Wilfre’s face was quickly plastered with regret as Mayor’s face sunk. The two stared at each other for a moment before Mayor spoke up.

“I’m saying no and that’s final.” Mayor walked out of Wilfre’s house and closed the door behind him.

“Well screw you too!” Wilfre threw his chair across the room and slouched on his bed. As he layed down, steaming with rage, he heard a voice coming from the other side of his room.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Athys walked into Wilfre’s room and sat down on the broken chair. “That’s no way to scream at an authority figure. You gotta do it like this!” Athys began to scream profanities throughout the house until Wilfre covered her mouth with his hand.

“What do you think you’re doing? Your daughter would kill both of us if she knew what you just said!”

“Oh, she couldn’t hurt a fly! Girl lost her spark when your father died.”

“So did Mayor apparently. He won’t even listen to me! I have all these ideas about how we could make the Village better, make the world better even!”

“Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If you got an idea, you should go after it! C’mere for a second.” Athys led Wilfre into her room and pulled out a red journal from her dresser. “This is a special journal and I want you to have it.”

“But why? No offence but we barely know each other.”

“Oh really? You think I don’t know who you are? Heh, I know more than anyone in this whole wide world.”

“Well, if that’s true, then can I ask you two things?”

“Go for it!”

“Thank you. So, about—”

“No kid, that’s the answer to your questions! Go for it! Draw in that old book! Date my granddaughter! Do what makes you happy!”

“Wow. How did you know that’s what I was going to ask?”

“I have friends in high places, young man. Now go get that book!” Wilfre ran out of the house with the journal and his inkwell pen. He snuck off to Creation Hall and stole the Book of Life from its pedestal. He ran back to his house, both books in tow, and snuck back through his door, undetected.

“Good job kid.” Athys said excitedly. “Glad to see that someone around here still fights for what they believe in.”

“Well, you know that I love Circi and I’ve never told anyone that before. Why shouldn’t I trust you?” Wilfre laid the Book of Life down on his table and flipped to a page. “Now, let’s see how well this works out. We’re bringing you back home, dad.”

“Wait, kid. You don’t mean to bring Steven back, do ya?” Athys stood up and hobbled over to the table. “Trust me kid, I learned the hard way that bringing someone back to life does more harm than good.”

“Well, what do you suppose I should draw instead?” Athys smiled at Wilfre and began to flip through her journal, until landing on two pages that were completely covered in scribbles, leaving no blank spots on either page.

“This should do nicely.”

“Wait, what?” Athys pushed Wilfre down onto the floor and began to draw grotesque creatures into the Book of Life. “What are you doing?”

“If I can’t go back home, then I’m gonna bring my home to me!”

“What are you talking about? Shadow City?”

“Of course, kid! Did you really think I was gonna sit and wait for the Shadow to go away before going home?”

“You went back. You left through the City Gate and went back to the city didn’t you!”

“Those Kaorin berries really do a number on your digestive track.” Dark patches of shadow began to appear on the ground as Athys scribbled in the Book. “Luckily, I had some of my new friends to help me out.” Shadow Walkers rose from the shadows as Athys pulled Wilfre to his feet. “Now, I got some business back home to attend to. The Ink Factory needs its boss back, and rumor has it that they prepared a three course meal for me. Good luck explaining this mess to Mayor!” Athys disappeared into one of the pools of Shadow as the door burst open.

“What did you do?” Cricket ran into the room and dragged Wilfre out.

“This is exactly why I told you not to write in the book!” Mayor yelled as Wilfre was pulled outside by Cricket’s deputy.

“No wait! It’s not what it looks like. This is all Athys’ fault!”

“Percate’s mom? She died seven years ago, kid! Those monsters have been diluting your brain!” Wilfre paused and thought back on what just happened in his house. “Now, you gotta go. We can’t have you messing around in the Village with whatever you just did in there.”

“Please just let me explain!”

“After those monsters scrambled your brain? Not likely. Now, get out of here!” Cricket’s Deputy pushed Wilfre away, not noticing that both books and the pen were in his hands. Wilfre ran towards the bridge and collided with Circi.

“Oh hey, what’s up Wilfre?”

“Circi, you need to help me. Wait for me on the other side of the bridge, I’ll explain later.”

“Wait Wilfre, what’s going on?”

“Just go!” Circi ran back across the bridge and hid behind a bush on the other side as Mayor yelled out to the police.

“Don’t let him leave with the Book!” Wilfre looked down and flipped through some of the pages.

“I gotta do something about these scribbles.” As Mayor and Cricket closed in, Wilfre began to panic. “If they get the book back like this, the creations will be gone forever.” As the Raposa closed in on him, Wilfre thought to himself. “I guess I have no choice…” Wilfre began to rip page after page from the Book of Life, watching them drift off into the wind.

“Hey! Stop that!” Wilfre threw the shell of the Book back into the Village.

“I’m sorry! I promise I can make this better!” Wilfre ran off the bridge and grabbed Circi by the arm.

“What did you just do? Was that the Book of Life?”

“Look, I can explain on the way, but we need to go back to Shadow City.”

“Regardless of how you can explain your way out of this, the City gate is on the other end of the Village!”

“We have to go around. Things are gonna get really messy in the village soon, and we can’t rely on the gates to go anywhere.” Circi stopped following Wilfre and looked back towards the village.

“What did you do Wilfre? I won’t follow you anywhere until you explain to me what’s going on.” Wilfre turned around and sighed, sitting down on a rock nearby.

“Ok fine, but I need you to believe me.”

“I promise. No matter how insane your story could be, I promise you I’ve heard weirder.” Wilfre began to recap the past ten minutes to Circi.

“That’s the weirdest story I’ve ever heard! How could my grandma possibly be alive when we found her body at the City Gate?”

“I don’t know, but I swear, what I told you actually happened! I know my mind wasn’t tricking me.”

“Look Wilfre, I know what I said, but I don’t know if I can trust you on this. Ghosts seem a little out of the ordinary.”

“Ok well how about this then?” Wilfre pulled out Athys’ journal from his pocket and opened it to the front cover. “Do you know what this is?”

“That’s…That’s her journal. We’ve been looking for that since she died! Where did you find it?”

“She gave it to me when I was in my house. It was in her dresser and she just shoved it into my hands.” Wilfre thought back to the incident and remembered what she told him about Circi. “She also told me that I should do things that make me happy. I’m really sorry about this.”

“What do you—” Wilfre leaned into Circi and kissed her before pulling back.

“I love you Circi. Please, I need your help to clear my name.” Circi stood there starstruck, not moving at all. She eventually regained her composure and walked up to Wilfre.

“Well, if youre going to try to force me to help you with a kiss, it’s not gonna work.” She looked him in the eyes and grabbed his head. “I’m gonna help you because I love you too.” She kissed Wilfre back, and before he could react, she pulled away. “Now! Let’s go to Shadow City and find my grandma!” She walked down the path until she noticed that Wilfre wasn’t following her. “Well? I’m not gonna clear your name on my own! Let’s get moving Picasso!” Wilfre smirked and began to chase her down the path.


	3. Wilfre's Corruption

* * *

** Shadow City's Outer Walls **

* * *

“Ok, so do you know where the Ink Factory is?”

“I lived here for maybe six years before the shadow came. This place is huge.”

“Well, sorry, I just thought since you were from here…”

“Look, I may not know where it is, but I think these signs might be helpful.” Circi pointed towards a road sign with the label: Ink Factory – 3 Miles.

“How did I not see that?”

“I don’t know snookums, but if we just follow this trail, we’ll make it to the Factory in no time.” Circi began to follow the path while Wilfre stared at her.

“Snookums? Really?”

“What? Would you prefer ‘Wilfee-poo’ or ‘Doodle-bug’?”

“Snookums it is.” The two of them laughed and continued to tread through the City, avoiding the people who were walking through the streets.

“So, how are we gonna get into the factory once we’re there?”

“Leave that to me,” Circi said as she began climbing a wooden ladder on a wall. “C’mon snookums, don’t just wait down there. We gotta go!”

“What do you expect me to do? Climb up those rickety planks?”

“I don’t see any other way to get up there! Now hurry up, you’re drawing attention to yourself.” Wilfre hesitantly grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up with Circi. They made their way through the city until they got to the Gates of the Ink Factory.

“This place looks like a palace! You said you had a plan to get in?”

“I did say that didn’t I. You said that my grandma called herself the boss of this place, right?”

“That’s what she told me.”

“Alright then hopefully this works.” Circi cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Hey gramma! I got your dinky journal and a tiny complaint about it! Your art is awful! Your factory is worthless! You can’t do anything right!” Circi stared at the palace as Wilfre looked around the area, waiting for something to happen.

“I guess your idea didn’t work then.”

“Oh, it worked alright.” Circi and Wilfre looked up to the top of the tower, where they heard the booming voice. “I assume the two of you wanted to see me?” Athys floated down from the top of the tower and landed on the ground in front of the two Raposa.

“Yes, we did. And we want you to undo whatever you did to the Book of Life!”

“Whatever I did? Correct me if I’m wrong but you’re the one who not only destroyed the Book but shifted all the blame onto a dead granny! How rude of you!” Athys walked towards Wilfre and summoned Shadow Walkers to her side. “You need to be punished for such evil deeds!”

“Wait!” Circi yelled. “What are you gonna do to him?”

“Nothing much, just a little something like this!” Athys fired her shadow at Circi, engulfing her in the substance. Wilfre screamed and lunged at the elder, only for her to shoot shadow at him as well. “We’ve been short-staffed recently! Hopefully the two of you can fix that problem!” Suddenly, Circi’s earring began to glow. The Shadow burst off of Circi, leaving only a purple bodied Raposa with solid white eyes. Her earring glowed a brilliant red and she began to fire bursts of shadow back at her grandma.

“How dare you touch him! He’s been nothing but good to us and you ruined him!” As Circi berated her grandmother more and more, Shadow began to pile on top of her. Wilfre stood up from where he was attacked and looked down at his body. He was covered in a pitch black mist and he felt a surge of power running through him. As he watched Circi attack her grandmother, he felt a rage burn within him. He followed in Circi’s footsteps, piling more Shadow on top of Athys until his intense emotions flickered out.

“Wait! Circi! Stop!” He ran towards his girlfriend and tackled her to the ground. “What are we doing? We can’t just attack your grandma like this!”

“Why not? She did this to us! We’re just like her now!”

“We might look like her, but we don’t have to be like her! Circi please!” Circi stared into Wilfre’s solid white eyes, and her layer of Shadow began to fade. “Wait, Circi! The Shadow! It’s fading!”

“Yours is too! Oh my God! I thought we were dead for sure!” The two Raposa embraced and ran back through the Shadow City. “Let’s go back to the Village and try to clear your name.” As the two reached the Outer Walls of Shadow City, they were met by a giant horde of darkness staring down at them.

“You thought you could get away that easily? This is my domain! I rule here!”

“Not anymore!” Wilfre yelled at the monster, as his Shadow returned to him. “If there’s anyone who’s gonna die here today, it’s going to be you Athys!” Wilfre’s Inkwell Pen began to glow a brilliant red, drawing Circi’s attention to him. Circi stood by his side and began to fight Athys alongside Wilfre once more. Eventually, the titan fell into the drain leading into the city, and Wilfre and Circi returned to their Raposa form, with the pen and earring returning to their original hues.

“What just happened?”

“I think the pen your mom gave me has some connection to the shadow. Same with your earring. It seems like they’re letting us control it somehow.” Circi sat down on the ground as she took off her earring and stared at it.

“How are these able to harness the Shadow? I’ve had this since I was a little kid!”

“Was it also a gift from your mother?”

“No, I got this from…” Circi stared at the drain leading into the sewer, “…her.” Wilfre sat down next to her and pulled out his pen.

“Well, what are we gonna do? I have no idea how to control this and I want to keep you safe.”

“I can take care of myself. It’s the Village we need to worry about.” the two of them sat in silence for a long time, until Circi stood up. “Ok Wilfre, you’re not going to like this, but it needs to happen.”

“Wait what? What’s going on?”

“My grandma, as senile as I thought she was, was one of the strongest people I knew. If we were able to defeat her together, then…” she paused and took a deep breath. “We need to split up. Go our separate ways.”

“No. No, Circi. C’mon, you’re all I have right now! You can’t just ditch me like this!” Wilfre’s shadow began to creep back onto his body.

“Wilfre I know! I don’t want to do this either, but we have to!” Circi’s shadow began to creep back as well.

“No, we don’t! Circi, if we stay here, then we can fix what she did! We can start over!”

“What are you talking about? Wilfre, I though you wanted to clear your name!”

“Well maybe this enlightened me a bit!” Wilfre’s shadow was covering more than half of his body. Circi’s shadow was creeping around her head and started to crawl down her torso. “Maybe, just maybe, if we go around fixing the corruption of the world, we can find a cure to our own corruption!”

“Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now? I love you, but you need to stop! Think rationally about this!”

“What about this is rational?” Both of them were completely enveloped in shadow once again. “We just saw your dead grandma turn us into shadow monsters and then we turned her into a demon! Nothing makes sense anymore!”

“Wilfre, I’m leaving. You can chase me if you want, but I can’t stay here. I’m sorry!”

“Fine then, leave!” Wilfre summoned a shadow cage around his former lover. “But listen to me one last time.”

“What if I don’t? What happens then?” Circi snapped back at Wilfre. “Are you really going to kill me? The only person who can actually clear your name? I didn’t think so.” With her last remark, Circi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Circi? Circi? Where’d you go? Circi! Please!” As Wilfre cried out into the night, shadow rose back out of the sewers and grabbed Wilfre. “Hey! What’s going on? Circi!!!”

* * *

**Outside Rapoville** ;

* * *

As Circi came up to the Rapoville bridge, she noticed Officer Cricket and his deputy scouting the area, with many Raposa gathered around them.

“Circi, oh my God! Are you okay?” Officer Cricket and Percate ran up to her and began to give her a barrage of questions.

“Guys hold on! I can answer all of your questions and talk about Wilfre in a second, but first, I need to relax a little bit. Is Cookie’s still open?”

“It is but we need to know one thing first, one thing about Wilfre – where is he?” Circi looked at all the people surrounding her and mustered up a breath.

“I don’t know. He attacked me, surrounded himself in Shadow, and teleported me back here.” As the lie came out of her mouth, she began to break down.

“Oh honey, youre okay now. He’s gone and you’re here with me. Its ok, its ok.” Percate and Circi embraced each other and stayed just outside the village until they gathered their tears. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I think so. Now, let’s go get some Banya Burgers.” The two of them walked into the village and laughed the night away, putting the memory of Wilfre behind them.


	4. Drawn to Life

* * *

** Athys' Lair **

* * *

“What are you going to do with me?” Wilfre yelled at the corrupted monster holding him hostage.

“I’m not going to do anything to you. You’re going to do stuff to me.” Athys placed him down at the top of the tower, resting on a broken conveyor belt.

“And why would I help you?”

“Because your life is on the line. You can be one of the most powerful beings in the world if you only let me help you.”

“You turned me into this monster and turned me against my own girlfriend! Death is better than this hellhole you’ve put me in.”

“Oh, don’t be so sure! If the two of us work together, we can solve the mystery of this world, and you can even save it one day!”

“And how would you know that?”

“Now that you’re here, it’s safe to tell you I assume. When I died trying to come back here, the Shadow restored me. If it wasn’t for you and your girlfriend, I would’ve been a perfect recreation of Athys, but now I’m just…well…this.”

“So Athys never truly came back to life?”

“Of course not! Only the Creator has the power to resurrect those who have died! But for now, we can try.”

“You want to rival the power of the Creator? That’s insane! No one could possibly do that and live!”

“Maybe not before, but now the stage is set! The Book of Life was destroyed! Your power is growing! And Circi is all but our mole!”

“You used us. We fell right into your trap!”

“A trap of my design, but your making! Plus, even if you wanted to go back, they’d never accept you like this!”

“Then I won’t return like this! I’ll use the pen to hide my shadow forever! There’s no way for you to force me into this!”

“Ok fine, you can go.” The monster released Wilfre from its grasp and sunk back into the shadow, leaving Wilfre alone in the room. As Wilfre tried to channel the shadow into the pen, he realized that it was no longer on him. “Oh wait, that’s right! You can’t leave because I have your pen! Here, it won’t let you channel the shadow, but it will make you essentially immortal. Be as arrogant as you want, but don’t forget that you work for me right now.” The monster handed Wilfre a pencil and the red journal, which now had his named scrawled on it. He considered using his supposed immortality to attack Athys, but remembered that the only person who could remove the shadow from his body was standing right in front of him.

“Fine. What do I have to do to get my pen back?”

“It’s simple really. The first step involves gathering an army. I already have four commanders lined up for you to corrupt with shadow. You clearly have that mastered already.” The monster said, gesturing to itself. Athys then pulled out four images and placed them in front of Wilfre. “The Icy Dragon, Frostwind. The Ancient Tree, Deadwood. The Giant Fish, Angler King. The Armored Giant, Scorpion. Corrupt these four and I’ll tell you what to do next.”

“Alright. I’ll do what I have to. Where can I find them?”

* * *

** Twenty Years Later **

* * *

As the Hero hit Wilfre with the Legendary Sword for the last time, Wilfre felt his pencil snap in half, and a rush of pain suddenly filled his body.  
“Ow ow ow! What? No!!! This cannot be!” Suspended in midair, Wilfre called out to the world below him, signaling his defeat. As the pain circulated through his body, the shadow dissipated from his body, and Wilfre stood up. Looking at his hands for the first time in twenty years, Wilfre began to speak before evaporating into thin air.

“Alright, time to empty this place out.” Athys thought to herself. The shadow in the lair began to rise, forcing the Hero out of the room. As the shadow completely filled the room, Athys took the two pieces of the pencil and fused them with shadow, allowing them to become one again. She drained the room and appeared on the ground, setting the pencil, pen, and journal on the table in front of her. She turned around and was struck by the blade of the Legendary Sword, causing the Raposa form she once claimed to dissipate into thin air, and sending the shadow back into the palace’s sewers.

Back in the Village, Circi and Percate returned to their friends, hearing the good news of Wilfre’s demise. After returning to their house, Mari knocked on their door.

“Hello? May I come in?” Circi went over and opened the door.

“Oh, hi Mari. How have you been?”

“Not very good to be honest. Wilfre, he killed my father.” Circi and Percate came over to her side and apologized profusely before being stopped by the new mayor. “I appreciate the support, but that’s actually not why I’m here. Circi, I know you just got back but I can’t do this job alone. Would you mind being my deputy mayor?”

“Mari, I don’t know. I’ve never been in that important of a role before.”

“I know, but you were like a second mother to me growing up.”

“What about Jowee? Can’t he be deputy mayor?” Mari laughed at Circi’s comment.

“That’s a good one. Jowee couldn’t lead the village to Wilfre if he left a trail of socks. But in all seriousness, can you take this job?”

“Ok Mari, I’ll do this for you, and for your father.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll come by later to tell you more, but for right now, I get to tell everyone the good news about Wilfre!” Mari left the room, and as Percate unpacked, Circi collapsed on the bed.

“He’s dead? They killed him?”

“They didn’t. The Creator’s Hero did! We’re going to celebrate later tonight if you want to come join us.”

“No thanks, we just got back, and I need to relax a bit.”

“Ah well. More Banya Ale for me!” Percate ran out of the house, leaving Circi alone. She rolled over onto her side and began to cry, gripping her earring. As her shadow enveloped her body for the first time in decades, she disappeared into a puff of smoke.

* * *

** Athys' Lair **

* * *

“You said you would protect him if I left him with you!” Circi stormed into the Boss’ tower, destroying the Shadow beings trying to keep her out. As Circi tore down the door to Athys’ lair, she found a notebook opened to a page of instructions. As she read through the page, her eyes began to widen.

“If you’re reading this, it means we’re one step closer to taking over. Circi, I know it will be you, and I know you’ll carry out this plan for me. Don’t let me down ‘snookums!’

"First off, both Wilfre and I are dead, and the Creator’s pesky doll has won. Don’t worry though, I still have an ace up my sleeve. You need to gather the Artifacts of Power and some Creation Ink. You’re bringing us back to life to fight another day! You have two of the five of them in front of you now.” Circi looked behind the book to see Wilfre’s pen and Athys’ pencil resting on the desk.

“There are three more you need to find. One is the Crystal Mask, which is currently in the ownership of the dreaded Monkey King. The next is the Eternal Furnace, which you can find in the heart of the Icy Wastes. Use the Frozenini and you’ll be there in no time. Lastly, you’ll need to find the Tree of Ages and take it’s branches. The ink we make here mixed with the Creation Ink from the branches should allow you to draw us onto the mannequin from any book. Do whatever it takes to bring us back, and I promise I’ll let you two lovebirds free. Sincerely, Grammy.”

Circi closed the book and sat down in a chair. She mulled over the details in her head while the city below erupted in chaos. The shadow was running aimlessly with Athys no longer alive to lead them and Circi decided to leave with the journal before drawing any more attention to herself.

As she appeared back in her room, the Shadow drained back into her earring, and she hid the book underneath her bed. Suddenly, her mother came back into the room and noticed her daughter crying.

“Hey sweetie, what’s wrong?” Circi jumped at her mother’s voice before running to her and collapsing in her arms. Without a word between them, Percate moved their hug over to inside the house, closed the door behind them, and let her daughter cry into her arms until the celebration had ended around them. Later that night, Circi waited for her mother to fall asleep and teleported back to Athys’ Lair, taking the journal and beginning her search.


	5. The Next Chapter

“AARRGH! You STUPID drawing!!! I hate you!! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!!” Circi began to tear out pages from her book as the Giant Scribble Monster formed behind her. As she drew one last figure into the monster, she turned to notice it grabbing her by the torso. “What? NO! NOT ME!!” The Scribble Monster threw her into its mouth and began to flood the village with shadow.

Some time later, Circi woke up in the waters surrounding Rapoville, laying on the now broken Eternal Furnace and holding three artifacts in her hands, the pen having mysteriously gone missing. She set the artifacts down on top of the furnace and felt her ears, noticing that her earring was now gone, ridding her of the shadow permanently. She sat herself up and looked around to see that Rapoville was nowhere to be found, seeing only two white masses in the water and a large, populated turtle swimming towards one mass. She watched as the white mass they landed on suddenly became colorful, with a giant statue of Wilfre drawing her attention. She began to paddle over to the island, desperate to see her lover once more. Halfway to her destination, she felt the waters quake and heard a booming voice in the sky.

** “Let there be color.” **

She watched as the only other mass she could see was suddenly a brilliant green, recognizing it as her second home. However, she continued to paddle towards her lover, desperate to see him again. Before she could make it to the land, she watched as the turtle left port and began to swim towards Rapoville. Circi docked at the island’s port and pulled the artifacts onto the land with her. Only then did she notice that the movement that the island once had was gone, and only small, white orbs populated the ground.

“Wilfre? Wilfre, where are you?” Circi called out to the island, running towards the mansion with Wilfre’s likeness plastered onto it. As she got to the door, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry Circi, but he’s gone.” She turned around to face the voice, only to see Mayor standing before her.

“Mayor? I thought…I thought Wilfre killed you?”

“He did. I’m nothing more than a ghost right now, but I’m also the only person left on this island other than you.” Mayor grabbed Circi’s hand and placed a red pen on her palm. “Wilfre used this to channel his power, but the Creator destroyed it during their battle.” Circi stared at the pen, which had been reassembled without a scratch.

“How did you know what this was? How did you put it back together? Who was on that turtle? I have so many questions, but I don’t know how to process all this.” Mayor and Circi sat down on the steps of the mansion as he explained the events that occurred on the island only moments prior. “So that’s it. He’s dead.”

“He came back once before, who knows if he’ll show up in one form or another. It may take four years, it may take eleven, but I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll show up again.” Circi looked up at him, questions racing through her mind, but only one surfaced to her lips.

“How are you so clam about this? He murdered you, he trapped you on this island, he almost destroyed out world for something that wasn’t even true.” Mayor stood up and faced Circi.

“I honestly don’t know the answer to those questions, but I do know that this is your island now. I can’t stay here forever, but if you ever need help, know that there’s a lot of ghosts who would want to help you.” Circi looked up to Mayor to see a crowd of Raposa staring back at her. The first to catch her eye were Steven and Athys, standing on either side of Mayor.

“It’s going to be ok sweetie,” Athys said to her granddaughter.

“If you want to help my son, I want to help you,” Steven said, extending his hand to Circi. She took his hand and was suddenly alone in Wilfre’s dormitory inside the mansion with all the artifacts in front of her. She turned around to see a single jar of ink on a table on the other side of the room, along with a page of the Book of Life. Along the top of the page were the words “My Ultimate Creation” and a crudely drawn cloud throne, but underneath the sketch were the words “Our Ultimate Creation” and a half drawn RapoKid. Circi smiled and carried the page and ink back to the artifacts. She assembled the mannequin one last time and began to finish the drawing of her daughter, bringing her to life and into her arms.


End file.
